Flooring



W. l.l BROWN May 15. 1928-.

FLOORING Filed Nov. 11. 1924 llllllll/ INVENI'R uam-3.

Patented May 15, 1928.

UNITED srprrrzs 1,669,652 PATENT .1 orf-fica.,

WILLIAM I. BROWN, ork ToLEDo, oHIo, 'AssIGNoR `fro THE JENNIsoN-WRIGH'IcoII- f PANY, or TOLEDO, omo, A CORPORATION or omo.l

FLOORING.

Application led November 11, 1924. f Serial No. 749,149.

This invention relates to sectional or block flooring. or surfacing.

This invention hasutilityvwhen incorporated. in wood block flooringwherein the blocks are sealed intheirA grouping for `knitting togetherinto a unit. z

Referring to the drawings:

F ig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of an embodiment ofthe'invention in an interior flooring; f

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 in which the blocks are of adifferent form than the showing in Fig. 1;

F ig. 3 isa view along the side of an intermediate row of the blocks ofFig. 1 as in a flooring, showing the sealing ilow andg-Fig. 4 is aperspective View on an enlarged scale, of one of theblocks of Fig. 1. 'v

A structure is shown having :doorway 1 fromA which extends sidewall 2 ofa room having subfloor or base 3, over which as a continuous sealingcoating is=a layer 4. In factoryfloors or, places exposed or subjectedto weathering or extremes in temperature or n moisture, with the blocksof wood, such seal-l ing coating may advantageously be a resin, pitch,tar or bitumen. As a self setting or hardening coating, after such layer4 is more or less set but of effective adhering properties, blocks 5 arelaid in adjacent or abutting rows thereon, preferably with the jointsstaggered as between adjacent rows. In such grouping of the blocks 5 onthe base 3 to be sealed thereto by the layer 4, the blocks 5 have thegrain of the wood thereof on end, or extending away from the base 3. p

The blocks 5 have their upper or wear faces 6 expose the age rings ofthe wood. Grooves 7 extend vertically across the face of longer side 8ot' the block 5 away from the wear face 6. Groove 9 parallel to thegrooves 7 extends across narrow side or end 1() of the block 5 awayfrom` the face 6. Lengthwise of the side 11 as opposite the 7 longerside 8, and parallel with the wear face 6 extends crosswise groove 12.Short side 13 opposite the short side 10, has cross'- wise of the graingroove 14 extending from the groove 12.

As grouped or assembled in the flooring on the base 3, the grooves 12,14, crosswise of the grain of the blocks 5, extend parallelto the base3, while the grooves 7, 9, parallel to the grain of the blocks 5 extendaway from the base 3. The blocks 5 as preferably :desirably similar toorone which may seal ilaid, have grooves intersected by grooves '12, andthe-grooves 9 intersected by the grooves` 14. lnthel completion of theflooring, sealing material 15, as a filler, which is with the coating4,\ is poured into the grooves 7, 9, squeegeed over the wear faces 6 forflowing into the grooves 7, 9, or as found convenient introduced toeffect sealing knitting between the blocks 5, as well as supplementingthe connectionl of the blocks to the'base 3. When this sealing. materialL15`is a liquid, aspitch, itfisdesirableto thin such 'by heating, soitmay iiow more freely, and still on getting back to 'the normaltemperature to which the flooring is to be exposed, is set or hard. .Itis, however, desirable not to have such Sealing material brittle, butalmost plastic. v

As the sealing mater'al15 is flowed into the grooves 7', 9, say asstarting along a oint between adjacent rows and taking care of thestaggered joints of abutting sides 10, 13, therefrom, the progress ofthev pouring along the adjacent sides 8, 11, is continuous so that anyair entrained by the material 15 as clogging the exposed end of a groove7, may escape along the vent crosswise grooves 12, 14. This release ofsupport tends to permit the ready flow of the material 15 into thegrooves 7, 9. In practice, this material 15 may readily settle below itspoint of i11-r troduction a given distance-say three quarters of aninch. l/Vith such ascertained condition as to the action of the material15, it

vis desirable .to have such distance as a maximum for theI spacingof thevent grooves 12, 14, from the base With this proportion maintained, thegrooves l2, 14, so vent between the grooves 7, 9, that the pouring orsqueegee application of such material 15 is at once, not only down tothe grooves 12,14, but the normal settling distance of the Inaterial 15toward the base 3 beyond these` grooves 12, 14. The volume of air belowthe vents 12, 14, is not such as to sustain the material 15, andonce thematerial 15, even for an attenuated stream portion thereof makesconnection with the coating 4, there is surface tension release andeffective sealing develops. The quantity of the sealing material 15which it is possible to introduce between'the blocks 5 on a singlepouring is thus elfective, not only to supply a knitting seal betweenthe blocks as crosskeyeddue to the intersecting grooves 7, 9, and 12,14, but is of such extent that such interconnection between the blocksis maintained even after extended intervalsof time and arduous wear,even of vehicle traffic,

for the sealing is also of the blocks to the base 3. While initially,the single pouring may not fully charge the grooves, such pouring sonearly approximates. such condition that the slight settling in thefinal complete .sealing of the material 15 with-the coating .4, leavesthe grooves 12, 111, submergediby the material 1 5 upward therefrom inthe grooves 7 9.V l f o Groovesl, in blocks Fig. 2, are in pairsadjacent intermediate projection 17 .as a

countersunk lug, but are assembled and con act inthe flooring with thesealing material as flowing therealong into `and past the. crosswisegrooves 12, 14. As the projections 17 are beyond the vertical faces ofthese blocks 5, the material lmay extend as V.a more or less thick sheetor iilm fin sealing the vertical faces of the blocks as abutting,

.thereby being a `factor in housing the floor,-

ing block or section with an antiseptic or preservative as to al1portions thereof not `open to direct wear.

cial regions are not air pockets,but block n Tendencies to warp or curl,even with ,blocks of greaterwidth v than depth, are minimized, if notfully eliminated. While each block is separately supported,'thesealingknits such blocks into a homogeneous flooring. v

What is claimed and itis desired to secure by Letters Patent is: v Aiooring comprising wood blocks of right general parallelopiped formhaving on two adjacent sides grooves parallel to the grain of the wood)of the block, and extending from the` wear-face ofthe block, and on thetwo adjacent remaining sides as .extending from said wear 4face havingcommunicating grooves crosswise of the grain of the wood of the block,said blocks as in rows in the flooring having the crosswise graingrooves intersecting the parallel to the grain grooves Y of adjacentblocks and accessible 'solely through the parallel grain grooves, andseal- 111g means for uniting .the rows of blocksV into al flooringV byflowing lengthwise of the parallel to the. grain grooves from the wearface of the blocks, with vent relief of such flowing provided by saidcrosswise grain grooves for flow of sealing means` from the parallelgrain grooves into said intersecting graingrooves. l

In witness whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM I. BROWN.

